A bit more.
When Allport Senior established his business in 1820 the gun trade in England was beginning to hit a depression. They had been on a "high" from the Napoleonic era and the huge demand for arms during that period. I can't speak about Birmingham directly, but in other areas of the country things got really bad. In some smaller towns, where iron mining and gun making were hand in hand, the depression was fierce. It was this depressed market that lead many to emigrate.
I found Allport interesting because, once again, we are looking at a family of gun makers. In this case, he rose to become the master of the proof house. As such, he was facing changing times. I am sure there are others who may have information about how he changed the proof house to respond to these changes. A lot of innovation in pressure testing equipment was going on everywhere.
Pete
